Article of jewelry



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NVENTOR @BSQEC a A E W ATTORNE J CUCCIOLI ARTICLE OF JEWELRY Flled Dec 9, 1949 June 24, 1952 Patented June 24. 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTICLE OF JEWELRY Joseph Cuccioli, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application December 9, 1949, Serial No. 132,046

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an article of jewelry and particularly to a combination earring and brooch.

It is the object of the invention to provide means removably mounted on a pin member of the article and provided with an ear-lobe-engaging abutment and a lever to retain said means on the pin member whereby said means in cooperation with an abutment on an ornament-carrying member of the article supports the article on the ear-lobe of the user and acts as a safety catch when the article is used as a brooch.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description of the invention.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application,

Figure 1 is a view showing in full lines the article attached to the ear-lobe of the user and in dotted lines the position of the ornament-carrying member of the article for removing the article from the ear-lobe.

Figure 2 is a view of the article looking at the left hand side of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of the safety catch engaged on the pin member of the article.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of a pivotal connection between the ornament-carrying and pin members of the article looking at the bottom of Figure 1.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing comprises an ornament-carrying member 6 having an abutment or pad I on one end to engage the outer face or side of an ear-lobe indicated in broken lines at E in Figure 1. The opposite end of the member 6 is arranged with a pair of spaced knuckles 8. A suitable ornament may be attached to the memher 6 or the member 6 may constitute the ornament.

The other component part of the article includes a pin member comprising a pair of prongs 9 connected at one end to each other by a knuckle l I]. The knuckle I I! is pivotally connected to and between the knuckles 8 by a pintle l i inserted in said knuckles 8 and Ill.

The free ends of the pin prongs 9 are yieldingly urged toward the abutment 1 by a spring coiled around the pintle within the knuckles 8 and I9 and having one end engaging the member 6, as shown at I2 in Figure 5.

The free ends of the pin prongs 9 are arranged with means to provide an abutment l3 to engage the inner face or side of the ear-lobe and in cooperation with the abutment retain the article on said ear-lobe. Said means comprises a body portion [4 of plate form having the abutment l3 secured on one face or side thereof. A pair of tubular portions having one end closed, as shown at I5, are secured to the opposite face or side of the body portion I4 and spaced from each other to receive the free ends of the pin prongs 9 through the open ends thereof. The tubular portions I5 permit the removal of the body portion [4 from the pin prongs 9 and the piercing of the pin prongs through a loop of material of the clothing of the user with the free ends of the pin prongs exposed for the reengagement of the tubular portions IS on said exposed free ends of the pin prongs to retain the pin prongs in said material.

The tubular portions [5 are releasably retained on the free ends of the pin prongs 9 by a locking member in the form of a lever I6 having a boss ll intermediate the ends thereof for the pivota1 engagement of the center portion of a pintle l8 supported at the opposite end portions in bosses l9 secured on intermediate sections of the tubular portions l5. One end of the lever is provided with integral. laterally extending portions 20 having the ends of curved form conforming to the curvature of the pin prongs 9, as shown at 2| in Figure 4. Each lateral portion 20 is provided with a peg or projection 22 to engage a corresponding recess 23 in the pin prong 9. The pegs 22 are yieldingly retained in said recesses 23 by a spring 24 having one end in a socket 25 at the end of the lever l6 opposite the end arranged with the lateral portions 20. The opposite end of the spring 24 is engaged in a recess or pocket 26 in the section of the body portion l4 extending beyond the closed ends of the tubular portions l5, as shown in Figure 3.

When it is desired to use the article as an earring the tubular portions l5 are engaged and secured on the free ends of the pin prongs 9 with the pegs 22 in the recesses 23, so that the spring 12 will urge the abutments I and I3 toward each other and to engage the opposite sides or faces of an ear-lobe, as shown in Figure 1.

When it is desired to use the article as a brooch, the catch l4-26 is removed from the pin by pressure on the socket 25 against the spring 24 to release the pegs 22 from the recesses 23. After removal of the catch from. the pin prongs 9, the pin prongs are pierced through a their free end portions disposed opposite to the.

earlobe-engaging abutment on the ornamentcarrying member, a spring at the inner ends of said pins urging the pins to said position, and a removable guard comprising a relatively short substantially flat body plate, an earlobe-engaging abutment on the inner side of said plate, a pair of spaced parallel tubular members on the opposite side 'of'said plate, each closed at one end and adapted to receive within the same the free end portion of one of said pins, said plate havingan outer end portion projectingbeyond the outer ends of said tubular members, alever. pivot ally mounted intermediate its ends on the outer sides of said tubular members, the outer end portion of said lever projecting beyond the outer ends of said tubular members opposite to said outer end portion of said plate, an expansion spring interposed between said outer end portion of the lever and the projecting outer end portion of said plate, the inner end portion of said lever projecting a short distance beyond the inner ends of said tubular members and having means thereon for engaging said pinsand retaining the guard on the pins with the earlobe-engaging abutment of the plate disposed opposite to and for cooperation with the earlobe-engaging abutment member oI'the' ornament-carrying member to support the article on the earlobe of the user.

JOSEPH CUCCIOLI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES Number Name Date 626,506 Sleight a- June 6, 1899 2,118,639 Bayardi May 24, 1938 2,509,726 Dauvergne; i May' 30-, 1950' 

